Speaking to reporters later, Araqchi said diplomatic talks between Iran and Pakistan have always been in progress, adding that his negotiations were focused on ways to remove the obstacles to closer cooperation between the two neighbors.

“Following the US unilateral sanctions (against Iran), new opportunities and obstacles have emerged in the relations between the two countries,” Araqchi said.

Pointing to centuries of peaceful coexistence between Iran and Pakistan, Araqchi said the two neighbors have a record of close historical and cultural bonds and will stand together for hundreds of more years.

In a message to Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Imran Khan in August, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani voiced Tehran’s readiness to enhance ties with Islamabad.

In his message, Rouhani expressed the hope that the new Pakistani leader’s tenure would mark “growing unity and convergence in the Islamic world and deepening of bonds between the two friendly neighbors.”